Why Autonomous Cars Are Safer than Humans

A few weeks ago, I wrote a post called “When Will We Be Able to Buy Self-Driving Cars.” Using today’s technology, Google is in deep development of an autonomous vehicle. In fact, this type of car has been tested on the roads for some time. Data being gathered has shown that this type of vehicle is safer and smoother than a human-driven vehicle.

Recently, there was a robotics conference in Santa Clara, California. Chris Urmson, robotics developer for Google, gave a presentation concerning the results of hundreds of thousands of miles recorded inside Google’s autonomous car. Data showed that Google’s car accelerated and braked better than its human counterpart. Also, the vehicle’s software was able to maintain a safer distance from other cars as well.

Google Claims That Autonomous Cars Are Safer

Autonomous cars have been driving on Nevada and California roads since 2010. In 2011, Google made the claim that these cars were safer than drunk drivers. Two years later, the company has updated their claims. Google states these types of cars are now safer than most unimpaired human drivers.

By nature, humans are easily distracted. Most drivers tend to daydream behind the wheel or use electronic devices that cause disruption. Conversely, computers are in control all of the time, without fail.

In addition to better driving, there are other safety advantages to autonomous cars. For example, these vehicles are able to provide better information following accidents. In one test, an autonomous car was hit by a human driver. The Google car recorded data that helped to create a map of the area and provide details of the accident. In the end, the Google car performed effectively. It was proven that the human driver was at fault.

To continue the journey of making an autonomous vehicle safer, Google is planning to develop a new dashboard display. This will help a person comprehend the actions of the car and know when it is better for a human to take over. There are a few more items that must be considered before this type of car is brought to market. However, it should be no shock to see this kind of car being sold at dealerships within the next five years.